The most famous artworks at the Louvre Museum

Artist: Leonardo da Vinci
Location: Denon Wing, Room 711
Year: 1503 - 1505

How can we not mention the Mona Lisa? Perhaps the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa is renowned for her enigmatic smile and the mastery of da Vinci’s sfumato technique. Expect crowds, but it’s a must-see!

Known as La Gioconda in Italian, the Mona Lisa was once stolen by a janitor and brought home to Italy after two years. Since that episode, the portrait made with oil on wood has become a piece of curiosity. The subject of the painting is believed to be the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, an influential Florence Politician. Mona Lisa stirs occasional controversy about its origin and whether it is finished or not. Additionally, it is a national treasure in France because her Louvre enclave is bulletproof glass.

​See Mona Lisa without the crowds >

Artist: Théodore Géricault
Location: Denon Wing, Room 700
Year: 1819

This 1819 painting gave little-known French artist Théodore Géricault National fame. A prime example of French Romanticism in art, The Raft of Medusa is often considered a superior masterpiece. The 16-foot tall oil painting depicts the French Navy frigate Medusa. The scene of the artwork is the 1816 shipwreck off the Mauritiana coast. The Raft of Medusa shows the emotions and drama of occupants in the ship, an amalgamation of fighting elements. The scene is filled with survivors, dead bodies, and an agonizing cry for help. The painting was acquired by the Louvre Museum shortly after the death of Théodore Géricault, at age 32.

Collection: Ancient Greek
Location: Denon Wing, Room 703
Year: 190 BC

This powerful Hellenistic sculpture represents Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. Its dramatic pose and its ability to capture the sensation of wind and movement make it one of the Louvre's most awe-inspiring pieces.

The total height of the monument is 5.57 metres (18 ft 3 in), including the socle, the statue alone measures 2.75 metres (9 ft 0 in). The sculpture is one of a small number of major Hellenistic statues surviving in the original, rather than Roman copies.

Collection: Ancient Greek
Location: Sully Wing, Room 345
Year: 1820

Discovered in 1820, it was offered to King Louis XIII who gave it to the Louvre Museum. It is one of the most famous representations of the goddess Venus (Aphrodite to the Greeks). This celebrated ancient Greek statue is known for its elegant proportions and its mysterious lost arms. It’s one of the most famous classical sculptures in the world.

Artist: Eugène Delacroix
Location: Denon Wing, Room 701
Year: 1831

Eugène Delacroix painted the iconic Liberty Leading the People in 1831, commemorating the July Revolution that toppled King Charles X. The painting shows Liberty personified as a woman wearing a Phrygian cap, holding the French tricolor on her right hand, and a bayoneted musket on the other, leading a group of armed people. Eugène Delacroix is one of the pioneers of French Romanticism, and the painting itself is revered as a symbol of his art. The 260-centimeter-tall painting is oil on canvas.

Artist: Jacques-Louis David
Location: Denon Wing, Room 702
Year: 1807

Jacques-Louis David's masterpiece, The Coronation of Napoleon, is a gigantic painting with a dimension of 20-feet x 32-feet. The artist was hired as the official painter of Napoleon Bonaparte. The stunning visual depicts the coronation of Napoleon at the Notre-Dame Church in Paris. The most important thing about this painting is the attention to detail. Everyone in the painting, including Pope Pius VII, gets immaculate detailing by the artist. The characters in the painting are depicted in a way they are all concentrating on Napoleon. It was believed that the artist took nearly three years to finish the artwork.

Artist: Paolo Veronese
Location: Denon Wing, Room 711
Year: 1563

The Wedding at Cana is a painting by Italian Renaissance painter Paolo Veronese. The painting depicts the scene in the Bible where Jesus turned water into red wine at a feast in the city of Cana. Veronese took the artistic freedom to create a different version of a marriage feast to accomplish this 6.77-meter-tall painting. Often hailed as a peak Renaissance artwork, The Wedding at Cana shows the brilliance of Veronese in using color palettes to perfection. Veronese, a student of the Venetian School of Arts, adopted the Venetian style in creating this art piece.

Artist: Johannes Vermeer
Location: Richelieu Wing, Room 837
Year: 1670

This delicate masterpiece by Vermeer showcases his mastery of light, texture, and intimate moments. It’s a serene and quietly powerful work. A famous 16th-century painting, the Lacemaker inspired a successful novel and a film with Isabelle Huppert in the lead role. This painting depicts a young girl focused on her work. It is a faithful representation of the occupation of distractions and work at the time.

Collection: Babylonian
Location: Richelieu Wing, Room 227
Year: 1755 - 1750 BC

One of the oldest and most important legal documents in history, this 7-foot-tall basalt stele represents King Hammurabi of Babylon receiving the laws from the sun god Shamash. The Code of Hammurabi, engraved on a stele in Babylonia in 1754 BC, represents one of the earliest codifications of laws in history. It covers diverse fields such as commerce, family and property. This historic document has influenced much subsequent legislation and remains a valuable reference for understanding the beginnings of the legal system.

Collection: Egyptian Collection
Location: Room of Egyptian Collection
Year: 2450–2325 BCE

This sculpture is an unfinished work by the Italian master Michelangelo. It is thought to have been made between 1513 and 1516. There is another dying slave on display in the Louvre. They were originally commissioned for the tomb of Jules II that had to be installed in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.